


Apples

by zephalien



Series: community center paul [12]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Female Friendship, Gen, M/M, Meddling, Mom friends, Scheming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29242812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zephalien/pseuds/zephalien
Summary: Ellie and Beth go to the grocery store together to catch up and gossip and they make a plan.
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller, Beth Latimer & Ellie Miller, Paul Coates & Beth Latimer, Paul Coates/Alec Hardy
Series: community center paul [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1598026
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	Apples

"How have things been going since Mark left?" Ellie asked, sniffing at an odd looking apple. "How's Chloe?"

"She seems okay. Bit moody here and there, but that's teenagers." Beth smirked and puffed out a breath. She resumed pushing her cart toward the bread leaving Ellie behind her slightly. 

"I can't believe the kids will be starting uni soon. I'm going to be blubbering like little Lizzie here having a fit when Tom's off to school." Ellie said, putting the apples back and apparently deciding to skip the whole lot. 

"Don't even talk to me about it. I don't know what I'll do without her around." Beth sighed and tossed some bread in the basket then started to absently untangle Lizzie's fingers from where they were grabbing and messing her hair. 

"I'll chip in a bit with the child care. Now that Fred is getting older and all he wants is to run about outside or play minecrafts. No time for old mum. I miss when he was small." Ellie said cooing at Lizzie for a moment to give Beth time to recheck her list. 

"God, you're a blessing. I feel like I'm going mad. The only adults I talk to are at work and it's not exactly lighthearted there." Beth said. They both headed to another section of the produce area. Neither was focusing too much on actually getting groceries. It was an excuse to chat more than anything. 

"How is the job going? I can't imagine." Ellie told her. 

"It's very rewarding. It's exhausting too. I sometimes feel so helpless with these women. The things they have been through…" She trailed off. Both of them were aware of how horrible the world could be to women and the bustling of the grocery store and Lizzie's babbling was the only sound between them for a long moment. 

"Well, you can always call." Ellie offered lamely. 

"Thank, love." Beth smiled gently. "Actually, I've been thinking about bringing Paul on."

"Paul? You mean at work?" Ellie asked. 

"Yes. I mean, he has the skills. He did counseling at the church and… well, honestly, I've been to see him a few times since he left. He's a bit of a mess, if I do say so." Beth told Ellie. This tidbit of gossip interested Ellie. Especially in the wake of what she had heard from Hardy about the man. She had found out he had been meant to have dinner with the man because she came by the day after and he was in a foul mood. Daisy had informed her that he was just cross because the vicar had 'stood him up'. She was eager to hear more about the man.

"I've been hearing about him a bit from Hardy. I'm sorry to hear he's had a rough go of it. I should have the poor man over for dinner sometime." Ellie said, trying to contain her desire for gossip.

Beth's eyes lit up in a mischievous sort of way. "You know, that's not a bad idea."

"What? Dinner?" Ellie asked. She pretended confusion, but she too was feeling a hint of mischief.

"We should all have dinner. Me, you, Hardy, Paul." Beth grinned.

  
Ellie returned her smile with a gleam in her eye. "I bet Tom would love some babysitting money."

* * *

  
  


It’s just after dinner one night when she suggests it. Hardy usually cooked when they ate together or they ordered take out. She tried to offer if she was up to it, but Hardy didn’t trust her to do more than spaghetti so usually it was up to him. Fred liked his cooking better anyway, much to her chagrin.

"I should do a dinner party." She said thoughtfully after Fred had eagerly asked to be excused from the table so he could go play minecraft on the computer in the other room. She had asked him about it once and he had explained it, but she really didn’t follow his explanation so she just left him to it since it seemed harmless.

Hardy grunted from where he was doing the washing up. She usually did it, but she had been working long hours after they lost one of the other officers on the force and he had pressed her back into her chair with a gruff, "I'll do it, sit down." She had let him, only because she knew him well enough to know that arguing with him wasn't very useful.

"What? It's a nice idea, isn't it? Bit of a gathering? Friends and the like?" She asked him, a bit put out by his lack of reaction. 

"Aye. It's nice. But..." Hardy paused, trying to find a good enough reason to avoid whatever it is that Ellie is planning. "Who would even come?" He finally settled on.

"Oh, Beth and I were talking at the grocery store about it." Ellie said as she pulled at her ponytail trying to get the elastic out of her tangled hair. 

"Aye. I'm sure you, me, and Beth will have loads to talk about." He, sort of, grumbled.

"You’re just being antisocial. She said she would invite Paul along. We'd have a nice little group for dinner. Doesn't that sound lovely." They both knew the question was rhetorical. She made a note of the crinkle in his brow when Paul's name came up.

"I don't like people." Hardy complained. 

Ellie just rolled her eyes at him. "Such a fussy one." She muttered.

  
"Oi!" He protested. 

She let him refocus on scrubbing the pan he was working on in the sink. He looked a bit sweet with his sleeves rolled up covered in soap and tired after work like this. "I'm sure you will cook something lovely for us." She grinned cheekily at him.

"Oh," He grumbled."Why am I responsible for the cooking?"

"You're the one who always complains about how I can't cook. If I'm such a bad cook, you'll have to do it." She looked at him stubbornly, daring him to disagree. 

"Fine, but I'll not be blamed if those two have some finicky food issues. I'll make what I make and you all will eat it. No fussing." He pointed the sponge at her in an attempt at sternness. 

"No fussing." She repeated, faux serious expression on her face, before letting loose a sweet chuckle. Hardy went back to scrubbing and she watched him comfortably for a long moment. He would make a nice spouse for someone who could put up with him, she thought.

* * *

"Beth, no. Beth, I can't. Please don't make me." He could feel himself becoming whinier by the second but he couldn't help it.

"Paul, it's just dinner. I've already agreed. Ellie would be heartbroken if we cancelled." Beth argued back as she juggled Lizzie and tried to pick up toys off the living room floor.

"Why did you agree without asking me anyway? He'll think I'm an ass." Paul argued right back.

"He won't! Anyway, I'm sure Ellie has told him about it by now anyway. If you cancel, he'll really think you want nothing to do with him." Beth replied. She smiled to herself and winked at Lizzie who babbled in response. 

"Beth!" He said in frustration then groaned stretching the phone away from his face then pulled it close again. "He's going to be annoyed with me. I'll ruin dinner if I come."   
  


"He won't be annoyed with you. You won't ruin dinner. Just tell him you're sorry and quit your whining. We're going." She said firmly. "You wouldn't deny me a night out with _actual_ adults, would you?"

He leaned his forehead against the wall and closed his eyes. Paul let out a long sigh before he finally replied. "What should I bring?"


End file.
